Family's anger at killer's sentence

RELATIVES of two teenage friends who died after being mown down by a drug crazed driver have branded his ten year jail sentence as an "absolute disgrace".

Speaking after Zulfcar Ali, 33, was sentenced for the manslaughter of 15 year-olds Dean Bloomfield and Scott Towler, Dean's tearful father Dennis Bloomfield said he felt let down by the court.

"I think it is an absolute disgrace. Two lives – that five years each, but he will be out within seven years. No wonder people take the law into their own hands. That's sometime I would like to do."

Mr Bloomfield was in Ipswich Crown Court with his wife Sharon and Scott's mother Pat King to see Ali sentenced yesterday.

"I will always hate him," he declared.

He said he watched Ali's face as he was sentenced. "He showed no remorse there was nothing on his face. He might as well have been sitting in the pictures."

He said that while his and Scott's families lives had been changed for ever Ali would be released from prison eventually and would be able to get on with his life.

"He will probably he rehoused and looked after on his release and will probably get turkey on Christmas Day in prison. It's not going to be Christmas for us," said Mr Bloomfield, who lives with his family in Burrell Road, Ipswich.

"In all these cases the only people who get life sentences are the family and friends of the victim," he added.

Mr Bloomfield said that Ali has written a letter to his family but he had refused to read it. He described the last seven months as "absolutely horrendous" and said he and his wife had to go on with their lives for the sake of their other children, Marion, 21, Daniel 19, and Emma 11, who had been devastated by their brother's death.

After yesterday's hearing Daniel Bloomfield said: "It doesn't matter how long he got. I have still lost my brother."

Ali of Boyton Road, Ipswich admitted two charges of manslaughter and two offences of dangerous driving on May 30 at a previous court hearing and sentence was adjourned until yesterday for a psychiatric report.

Jailing him for 10 years and banning him from driving for 10 years Judge John Devaux described Ali's driving as appalling.

"There was disregard for others from the outset. You showed excessive speed and prolonged, persistent and progressive bad driving", said the Judge.

He said the matter was aggravated by Ali consumption of illegal drugs and the fact that he did not hold a driving licence or have effective insurance at the time of the accident.

Judge Devaux told Ali the young men who died had in no way contributed to their deaths.

"This case involves an extremely high level of culpability on your part."

The Judge said that on four occasions between May last year and March this year Ali had failed his driving test.

"You are a very incompetent driver and show no aptitude for driving a motor car said the Judge."

He said that as recently as May 9 Ali had obtained driving insurance on the basis of fraudulent information by claiming that he had held a full UK driving licence for 15 years.

He said that prior to May 30 Ali had a long term addiction to Class A drugs and in the early hours of the day in question he had consumed both Class A and Class B drugs. He said there was no doubt these had affected Ali's conduct.

Judge Devaux ordered Ali to take an extended driving test at the end of his ban.

At an earlier hearing the Court was told that Ali ploughed into Scott and Dean after a blazing row with his wife Shazia Bibi about his heroin abuse.

She had thrown herself onto the bonnet of his Volvo in a bid to stop him driving but had been thrown off after he braked hard on several occasions.

Dean and Scott had been walking along Fore Hamlet with Dean's girlfriend Janay Porter 14, when Ali smashed into them and drove on without stopping or slowing down.

Karin Khalil prosecuting said: "Ali drove the Volvo onto the pavement, weaving from side to side before he began to straighten up and accelerate. Janay recalled holding Dean's hand and trying to get him out of the way but he was swept away by the car," said Mr Khalil.

"The defendant drove his car through those two boys without slowing at all. They were hurled onto the front of the car, onto the windscreen and then onto to the road – one witness described them as being thrown like rag dolls. Ali continued on and left them for dead."

The trail of destruction, which had seen Ali hit several other vehicles, finally came to an end in Key Street, when the car skewed across the road and smashed into a wall.

Ali, described as "wide eyed and wild" ran from the vehicle before being tackled by police. Remnants of Dean and Scott's clothing were found still stuck to the car windscreen wipers.

Tests on Ali at the police station showed he had taken cocaine, valium and morphine.

He told officers his wife had threatened to set fire to herself and the house, accused eye witnesses of being racist and denied being under the influence of drugs or driving on the pavement.

John Causer for Ali said his client had been convicted of manslaughter and not murder and sentence should reflect that.

He said he was aware that anything said by him in his client's defence was likely to increase the distress of those who had been affected by the tragic events of May 30.

He said that from Ali's pre-sentence report it was clear that he had not been intent on hurting anyone or wilfully causing an accident.

He said his client had been portrayed by some sections of the media as a "drug crazed fiend".

"This is not a basis from which he should be sentenced," said Mr Causer.

He said doctors who had examined Ali had concluded that he didn't suffer from any form of psychiatric or mental illness. However, it would be plain to anyone reading a record of Ali's police interview that they were not dealing with a man who thinks in a conventional way.

He stressed that it was not a case of two victims being struck at different stages of a journey but at the same time.